BOSTON — The man accused of sneaking through airport security at Logan and trying to stow away on a JetBlue plane has been hospitalized for a mental health evaluation, according to the court.
Sergiu Parfeni, 31, was due in East Boston District Court Tuesday morning but failed to show up. That's when the court delayed proceedings to find him, learning via fax he was had been hospitalized.
Officers who arrested Parfeni on the tarmac at Logan Airport Monday said he got by security through an emergency exit door and tried to get in a JetBlue plane's luggage compartment. Police say when he was chased out of there he attempted to get onto a jet bridge, which has locked doors to prevent unauthorized access.
Police say he was finally apprehended when he climbed a set of stairs toward a maintenance entrance. Officers grabbed him on the stairs, saying he told them, "you can't tell me what to do, you have to let me go home."
State Police did a sweep of the cargo hold Parfeni got inside, but did not find any hazardous materials or anything suspicious. Authorities say there is no evidence that Parfeni acted with terrorist intent.
When a cargo hold is breached, it must be searched for any unauthorized materials and the plane was delayed for some time.
Police say during the booking process, Parfeni acted out, yelling, singing, shouting profanities and threatening to harm troopers.
Friends of Parfeni tell Boston 25 News this is extremely out of character for him. They describe him as a kind, outgoing, and charitable person. They tell us he owns a cafe, is a member of the Malden Chamber of Commerce and was recently appointed to the board at Malden's public access TV station.
"There’s gotta be something wrong, something snapped. He’s not an aggressive guy. He’s very outgoing, very friendly, the opposite of what you feel these people are kind of like," a friend told us.
Parfeni is due back in court on Friday.
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